vocalize
/ˈvoʊ.kə.laɪz/verb
vocalize is spelled V-O-C-A-L-I-Z-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, vocalize means “To express with the voice, to utter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in vocalize?
| Letters | 8: V-O-C-A-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is vocalize?
Vocalize appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce vocalize?
- US /ˈvoʊ.kə.laɪz/
Vocalize has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-vocalize.ogg, En-au-vocalize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with vocalize?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as vocalize from its last stressed vowel (/oʊkəlaɪz/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of vocalize
- vocalizes present, singular, he/she/it
- vocalizing participle, present
- vocalized participle, past
- vocalise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vocalize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To express with the voice, to utter.
- 2
To produce noises or calls from the throat.
We could hear the monkeys vocalizing, though we could not see them.
- 3
To sing without using words.
- 4
To turn a consonant into a vowel.
In Hong Kong English, /l/ may be vocalized at the end of a syllable.
- 5
datedTo make a sound voiced rather than voiceless.
- 6
To add vowel points to a consonantal script (e.g. niqqud in Hebrew)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vocalize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to express with the voice, to utter:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | vocalizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does vocalize come from?
From vocal + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).